Free Republic

Man charged with hate crime after ramming Chabad headquarters in New York. 36-year-old charged with hate crimes after ramming his car five times into Chabad headquarters in Brooklyn. Dan Sohail, 36, is the man suspected of driving a car into the doors to a synagogue at Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, five times on Wednesday evening, Joseph Kenny, chief of detectives at the New York City Police Department, said at a press conference on Thursday. The suspect, of Carteret, N.J., "had recently connected with the Lubavitch community," and removed blockades from the same site the prior day, Kenny said,...

The Big Apple is about to take on a new name -- Tent City, or Filth City. Or perhaps Lepto City, after leptospirosis, a bacterial infection increasingly found in homeless encampments. New York's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is barring the New York Police Department from closing down encampments. Since Mamdani previewed his policy in December, new encampments are emerging in many neighborhoods. The consequences are dire both for vagrants and for the city's viability. Between Friday, when the city was hit with a bone-chilling winter storm, and Sunday night, eight people were found dead outdoors, suggesting they were homeless. Mamdani...

At least three homeless New Yorkers were found dead in freezing temperatures Saturday morning after Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul rebuffed a federal assistance offer from the Trump administration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reached out to New York ahead of the major winter storm sweeping the country. Hochul responded on X by demanding immigration enforcement changes as a condition for accepting help. “Secretary Noem offered assistance to New York ahead of the impending snowstorm,” Hochul wrote on X. “I shared that the fastest way to help is for ICE to back off so people feel safe accessing warming centers, shelters,...

Two years ago, Zakia Khan and her son Ahsan Ijaz hosted an NYPD promotion ceremony for the first Pakistani inspector in the New York City police department. After an Imam recited a prayer and everyone, including NYPD personnel, rose and put their hands on their hearts for the Pakistani national anthem, hailing Pakistan as the ‘citadel of Islam’ in the “shadow of Allah.” Last year, Khan pleaded guilty to a $68 million Medicaid fraud scheme involving her adult day care centers, which had been the sponsors of the NYPD event, and earlier this year more members of the Muslim fraud...

Pic of Kahlil The Trump administration is moving to deport Mahmoud Khalil, the Syrian born anti Israel activist and Columbia University graduate who was arrested by ICE, as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly rallies behind him. video of Mamdani bloviating about Khalil's free speech Speaking at a press conference in Brooklyn, Mamdani insisted Khalil should be allowed to stay in New York, calling the planned deportation “an attack” and claiming it is part of a wider effort to silence speech tied to pro Palestinian activism. Khalil became a national figure after helping lead the aggressive anti Israel demonstrations...

In a candid admission that’s turning heads, legendary New York sports radio host Mike Francesa conceded that red state cities are now more attractive to NFL coaches than New York City. Speaking on his show, amid reports that John Harbaugh is poised to become the next head coach of the New York Giants, Francesa argued that red-state, no- or low-tax cities offer a superior quality of life, safety, and financial incentives compared to New York. Francesa, long known as the “Sports Pope” for his passionate advocacy of all things New York sports, painted a stark picture of the city’s decline.

Earlier this month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced controversy for his appointment of advisor Cea Weaver to run the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. Weaver, X users and the media soon discovered, had made several social-media posts asserting that homeownership was “racist” and “a weapon of white supremacy,” and calling for policies to “impoverish the white middle class.” I dislike the attitudes expressed in these posts. I even think they’re racist. But it’s easy to treat them as aberrant. In fact, at the time they were made—the late 2010s—those attitudes were culturally dominant.Such instinctual, casual anti-white statements reinforced the active institutional...

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji began moving into the official mayoral residence on Monday, leaving behind their leaky, one-bedroom apartment in Queens for a fully staffed mansion in Manhattan. For Mamdani, the historic house stands in particularly sharp contrast to his previous living quarters: a $2,300 per month one bedroom apartment that lacked a washer and dryer, and was prone to flooding from a busted pipe. The couple’s new digs, meanwhile, boast 11,000 square feet (1,021 square meters) of space, a private chef, ornate ballroom and a veranda overlooking the...

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani and Steven Spielberg had a private meeting on Monday at the director’s Central Park West apartment, per The New York Times. The Times reported on the pair’s pre-dinner meeting on Thursday, which was confirmed by City Hall and Terry Press, Spielberg’s spokeswoman. Press additionally told the outlet Mamdani and Spielberg agreed to keep their meeting private, while Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for the mayor, declined to comment, aside from sharing that he returned to work after the events. Knowledgable sources tell The Hollywood Reporter the meeting was not initiated by Mamdani or Spielberg but...

When New York City’s 8.5 million residents elected a self-professed socialist to be their next leader, conservatives across the country warned that his tenure would be a disaster. But the first week of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s term has been even worse than most predicted. Like a true Marxist, one of Mamdani’s first acts was erecting a monument to himself. The 34-year-old Ugandan-born immigrant was officially sworn in as the Big Apple’s 111th (or 112th, depending on how you’re counting) mayor just after midnight on January 1. Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of the city, took his oath of office on...

The Democratic Socialists of America — for whom New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is a vocal supporter — and a Chinese Communist Party-linked activist network are leading a two-front resistance effort against President Donald Trump, with street protests seeking to blend efforts opposing ICE with the arrest of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. The coordinated organizational effort by the DSA and affiliated protest groups is fueled in large part by funding from CCP-linked wealthy Marxist businessman Neville Singham. That network produced a new slogan over the past few days — “No Wars. No Kings. No ICE.” — which sought to...

The late Colin Powell, in an interview about the difference between governing and campaigning, invoked his long experience and humor to describe it this way: “I think any human being with an IQ over 40, who is a mammal, loves governing more than campaigning.” It’s a shame that Powell, a top military leader and a secretary of state who died in 2021, isn’t available to counsel Zohran Mamdani. If he were, perhaps he could get through to New York’s new mayor, who appears to be so in love with campaigning that he can’t kick the habit. How else to explain...

Freshly sworn in Council Speaker Julie Menin on Wednesday said she’ll push to restrict protests outside synagogues and other houses of worship — as one of her first official acts of office. It comes after growing worries from the Jewish community with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s day one move revoking or rescinding city policies aimed at combating antisemitism. Menin — who will serve as the first Jewish speaker of the legislative body — said she expressed to the mayor that there was “concern” among New York Jews over his decision to repeal or rework the executive orders issued by his predecessor...

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday said support for terror groups has “no place in our city,” after a pro-Hamas protest in a Jewish neighborhood sparked outrage from other elected leaders. Anti-Zionist activists chanted “We support Hamas,” “Death to the IDF,” “Intifada people’s war,” and other violent and discriminatory slogans during a Thursday night protest against an Israeli real estate event held at a synagogue in the Kew Gardens Hill neighborhood in Queens.

Suddenly she’s Golda Meir. Lefty “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – a strident anti-Israel critic – ripped a mob of pro-Palestine protestors who were caught on video chanting in support of Hamas terrorists while marching in Queens. “Hey so marching into a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and leading with a chant saying ‘we support Hamas’ is a disgusting and antisemitic thing to do,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Friday. “Pretty basic!” The card-carrying Democratic Socialist of America member who reps parts of The Bronx and Queens was responded to a video posted on X showing protestors marching through Queens and chanting, “Say it...

New York inched toward socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s lofty promise of universal child care Thursday — as Gov. Kathy Hochul rolled out a multi-billion-dollar plan to vastly expand kids programs. The proposed “2-Care” program for all 2-year-olds in the Big Apple, along with a buildup of existing pre-K and early childcare in the rest of New York, will ultimately provide care for 100,000 more children across the state, Hochul said. Mamdani, standing alongside the governor for a back-slapping announcement in the Flatbush YMCA, crowed that the proposals will help families struggling with the cost of childcare in New York City....

Venezuela’s acting leader, in an address to the nation on Sunday, said there were “Zionist undertones” to the U.S. military’s capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Delcy Rodriguez, a vice president under Maduro who is now the interim leader, has demanded the “immediate release” of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, since they were captured by U.S. forces on Saturday. Maduro and Flores were flown to New York City, where they are expected to appear in federal court on drug-trafficking and other charges on Monday. “Governments around the world are simply shocked that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the victim...

Delcy Rodríguez, the vice president of Venezuela who is now serving as acting president, accused Israel of orchestrating the U.S. operation that led to the capture of former leader Nicolás Maduro. Speaking in a televised address alongside senior figures from Maduro’s inner circle, Rodríguez blamed “the Zionists” for the events surrounding his arrest, echoing familiar rhetoric long used by Venezuela’s Chavista leadership to fault Israel and its allies for international pressure on the regime. “The attack on Venezuela has an undoubtedly Zionist character,” Rodríguez declared, offering no evidence to support the claim. She reiterated that Nicolás Maduro “is the only...

“Zionism must be destroyed, [I’m] grateful for all the resistance fighters" Dr. Ryan Rao saidA medical doctor in Hawaii has come under fire after posting dozens of shocking comments about wanting Zionists to die on Monday, as well as praising the deaths of Israelis on his public social media over the past week. Ryan Christopher Rao — a internal medicine specialist and hospitalist at the Queen’s Medical Center Punchbowl, in Honolulu, Hawaii — has posted numerous missives against Zionists on his public Facebook page, making statements such as “I Hope All The Zionists Are Deleted” on Monday, June 16.The doctor...

Pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators assembled outside NYU Tisch Hospital on Monday, chanting slogans against Israel and holding signs with anti-Israel messages. The demonstration was organized by the Within Our Lifetime organization. The protesters called on Israel to release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a hospital director in Gaza who was detained by the IDF over links to the Hamas terrorist organization. Videos from the protest posted to social media showed the protesters chanting slogans such as, "Gaza, you make us proud” and, “Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want no Zionists here.” Demonstrators were also seen holding signs with messages...